City Council passes Rs24.84bn KMC budget amid opposition's protest.

Byline: Tahir Siddiqui

KARACHI -- The City Council of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation on Monday passed a tax-free budget of over Rs24.84 billion for fiscal year 2020-21 amid strong protest by the opposition.

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar presented the fourth budget of his tenure before the council, where Deputy Mayor Arshad Hussain and Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saif ur Rehman were also present.

The municipal administration's total estimated budget is Rs24.845bn and the current receipts in the budget are Rs20.67bn whereas the capital receipts are Rs1.66bn.

Over Rs2.5bn was allocated for district Annual Development Programme (ADP) and establishment expenditures are Rs15.57bn.

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A sum of Rs200.96 million was earmarked for repair and maintenance while estimations for development works are Rs4.38bn.

No new tax was imposed for FY 2020-21.

The mayor said that the city's municipal administration had taken all-out measures to ensure provision of facilities at the grassroots level.

'Covid-19 has affected the entire world badly and after that planning for future is not an easy task,' he said, adding that the resources which were nominal even before the lockdown had almost finished.

He said that the KMC's biggest source of income was the grant from the provincial government.

Rs680m for roads' repair, maintenance

The mayor said that Rs680m was earmarked for repair and maintenance of roundabouts, roads, footpaths and sewerage lines of all six districts; Special Development Project and Nehr-i-Khayyam got Rs120m each; Rs120m has also been fixed for different works at UCs.

He added that Rs100m was earmarked for purchasing ventilators; Rs100m for purchasing of different equipment for hospitals under the administrative control of KMC.

Mr Akhtar said that Rs100m was earmarked for the Kidney Hill Park; Rs300m for uplift work at the Shahabuddin Market Parking Plaza; Rs100m for the uplift and lighting of big arteries; and Rs100m is fixed for uplift works at different parks.

He said that Rs100m was fixed for cleanliness of drains while Rs75m was earmarked for maintenance of flyovers, underpasses and bridges.

The mayor said that Rs75m each was earmarked for establishment of a fire station, uplift of landfill sites and Zulfikarabad Oil Tankers Parking Terminal's phase II.

Likewise, the KMC allocated Rs52m for development works at the zoos and Safari Park as well Rs50m for purchasing of...